Are You Influenced by Influencers?

[Ribboz]

Yeah definitely. Deadpool_25, Max, Techno, Holloway, Narad. You know.

YOU, Deapool_25, made me interested in 5150s. Lol

 

[Deadpool_25]

Yeah definitely. Deadpool_25, Max, Techno, Holloway, Narad. You know.

YOU, Deapool_25, made me interested in 5150s. Lol

You’re welcome.

 

[rokket2005]

Pretty much the only guitar Youtuber that I enjoy watching now is Zach Wish. He plays cool riffs/bands, always has awesome tones with cool stuff, and isn't trying to sell whatever new garbage happens to be out that week.

Has he influenced me to want an LP Custom? Absolutely, but I've been something of an LP junky for 20 years anyway, so it doesn't take much.

 

[narad]

I can't express via text just how strongly I am saying this in person: fuck no.

I don't trust anyone who's actively putting out guitar demos with dozens of followers because the obvious implication is: they were sent this product as a demo to say nice things about, and because of that, they're going to say nice/not-negative things about it because they want to maintain relationships that can earn them money. I just want to hear how it sounds, and if that's enough, then I'll consider the product.

You can trust ArnoldPlaysGuitar. It says right there in the title, "UNBIASED GEAR REVIEW". I can't make it any clearer for you.

 

[Deadpool_25]

Pretty much the only guitar Youtuber that I enjoy watching now is Zach Wish. He plays cool riffs/bands, always has awesome tones with cool stuff, and isn't trying to sell whatever new garbage happens to be out that week.

Has he influenced me to want an LP Custom? Absolutely, but I've been something of an LP junky for 20 years anyway, so it doesn't take much.

Yeah good call Zach Wish is good too.

 

[sevenfoxes]

I’m honestly tired of “influencers”. Most of them just annoy the fuck outta me with their stupid paid ads and sponsored bullshit. They come across as phony as hell.

There are a couple youtubers who I greatly reapect though: Ben Eller, and our very own @Guitarjon

I feel like those guys genuinely want to help people and not just want views/subscribers for the sake of ad revenue.

 

[MetalDestroyer]

I was watching a Nik Nocturnal cover one day and decided his JP6 looked comfy so I immediately bought one idk if that counts.

collector//emitter is so bad for my wallet I literally cannot watch his channel anymore. Luckily the Axe-Fx has replaced my pedalboard but it was pretty touch and go for a while there.

 

[thraxil]

Does Andy at Pro Guitar Shop Reverb count as an "influencer"? Cause that dude's sold me a few pedals over the years. I can't say he's ever steared me wrong though.

 

[TedEH]

To clarify, I didn’t mean to make “influencer” a dirty word.

I think someone said it already, but you didn't have to make it a dirty word - they've done a good enough job of it themselves.

Part of me thinks that being over 30 makes me less susceptible to the whole influencer thing. So much of internet / influencer culture is pointed at young people, those who wish they were still young people, and people who are desperate for their moment of fame, and I don't quite fit that category anymore, so a lot of it goes over my head. I stay off of most social platforms most of the time. I watch a few youtube channels that could be thought of as "influencers", but I try to only really watch stuff that's either information I was already searching for, or come from sources that do more than just constant reviews and sales pitches. Like I used to watch some of the Andertons + Chapman stuff, but it's become mostly just sales/reviews so I stopped watching. I never got into Ola 'cause it always just reads to me as a popular-guy-tries-to-sell-you-on-how-"metal"-stuff-is, and I just kinda don't care.

I also can't really do the whole parasocial thing. Watching a youtuber (or whatever other platform) doesn't make me feel like I'm part of a community, and I know very well that these people are not my "friends". For a while, I liked Rob Chapman's character, I saw him as someone whose character I would get along with in real life - but at no point was I under some illusion that subscribing to his channel was a viable replacement for a real social interaction with a real person. And I know some of you will go "dude, that's not what youtubers are about" - and if you've dodged that mentality, then I think you've done the right thing - but I'm very convinced that the success of influencers is in large part due to this parasocial connection that a lot of people make to the content they watch. I'm a nerd, I'm a weirdo, I have a lot of very isolated, independent, sometimes anti-social friends, who ultimately end up trying to fulfill their social needs on the internet, and I find that pretty concerning when "content creators" don't acknoledge it or handle it responsibly. And they know. I'm 1000% confident they know this parasocial aspect is what grips a lot of the audioence. I mean, that's HUGE from a marketing standpoint. If you can convince your audience that you're their friend, that watching a video or stream is like hanging out, then anything you recommend isn't just an ad - this is your friend telling you about something cool, and you can trust your friend right?

Someone convinced me to install Tiktok at one point, and every time I opened it was "mad cringe fam" or whatever young people say - it made me want to gouge my eyes out rather than pipe everyone's desperate cries for 10-seconds of internet fame directly into my brain. It's all blatant thirst traps and sales pitches and all manner of desperation to be noticed in one way or another, and it's exhausting. Hard pass.

"But Ted, this is an amazing platform that lets cOnTeNt CrEaToRs and ArTiStS have a platform and really take off and express themselves in unprecedented ways!" No, it's really not. It's just another ad-driven content aggregate and marketing tool, just like every other platform.

 

[MFB]

You can trust ArnoldPlaysGuitar. It says right there in the title, "UNBIASED GEAR REVIEW". I can't make it any clearer for you.

LOL, bro, you could put 99% of names + the word "guitar" together and I couldn't tell you which one is the real YT'er. I know like, maybe 10 names compared to the fucking dozens that people apparently follow.

My ignorance to the gear world side of YT is pure bliss

 

[Emperoff]

Part of me thinks that being over 30 makes me less susceptible to the whole influencer thing. So much of internet / influencer culture is pointed at young people, those who wish they were still young people, and people who are desperate for their moment of fame, and I don't quite fit that category anymore, so a lot of it goes over my head.

Hit the nail almost right in the head. Although I'd agree that most influencers/youtubers are heavily targeting <30 year old audiences, these two guys are probably responsible of thousands of "boomer gear purchases":

And how could they not? They're the exact mirroring of their target audience. Gear nerding for hours and little to barely playing the actual guitar

 

[PatientMental76]

If there is a product that looks appealing that i might use ill check out the video but you need to think for yourself & never go by what some goon says they are only making the video for views & get money for themselves, also dont trust what anything sounds like in their videos because too much is involved when recording & they will get kickbacks from the companies for selling their product which is why a lot of the videos for trash products sound amazing but i guarantee the product wasnt even used in the recording! I think people are understanding that fact now but when it all started back in the day people went crazy buying anything & everything a "influencer" told them to get! AxeFX was probably the most egregious out of them all till you get one & realize its not what you expected! There should be a meme with expectation vs reality on that one! Whats sad is when you see people that buy all of it, there some dude on youtube i cant remember his name because i blocked his channel because hes so annoying, hes in NY & literally buys all the gear that people tell him to its like being addicted to drugs this dude has the most gear ive ever seen stacked to the ceiling & is getting views & fan comments solely for just acquiring the gear & he has a delusional smug attitude about it somehow believing it makes him better than he really is because all the reviews sound terrible! Id have more respect for him if he just made an attempt at original music with a beat up guitar & amp!

 

[Steinmetzify]

Nah. I’ll watch reviews of something I’m already interested in, but I’ve never bought anything based on seeing a YT vid of it pop up in my feed.

I’m not really on social media; blows me away that my wife and kid will spend hours on IG but they could say the same about me and guitar forums. To each their own.

 

[Bearitone]

I feel i get influenced if it fits the niche of gear I’m into at the time and the demos actually sound good.

 

[Deadpool_25]

I feel i get influenced if it fits the niche of gear I’m into at the time and the demos actually sound good.

Yeah that.

 

[Adieu]

I’m honestly tired of “influencers”. Most of them just annoy the fuck outta me with their stupid paid ads and sponsored bullshit. They come across as phony as hell.

There are a couple youtubers who I greatly reapect though: Ben Eller, and our very own @Guitarjon

I feel like those guys genuinely want to help people and not just want views/subscribers for the sake of ad revenue.

Btw, anybody know how much these guys are making off this stuff?

 

[Emperoff]

Btw, anybody know how much these guys are making off this stuff?

YouTube Money Calculator: Calculate How Much You Can Make

Are you wondering how much money you can make from your YouTube channel? This article will show you our YouTube Money Calculator to give an estimate of your earnings as a YouTuber and more.

influencermarketinghub.com

 

[thebeesknees22]

YouTube Money Calculator: Calculate How Much You Can Make

Are you wondering how much money you can make from your YouTube channel? This article will show you our YouTube Money Calculator to give an estimate of your earnings as a YouTuber and more.

influencermarketinghub.com

Seems like a lot of work for not much of a payoff unless you get a boat load of views regularly.

 

[sevenfoxes]

Btw, anybody know how much these guys are making off this stuff?

Some are severely overpaid, while some are working for peanuts.

 

[Adieu]

YouTube Money Calculator: Calculate How Much You Can Make

Are you wondering how much money you can make from your YouTube channel? This article will show you our YouTube Money Calculator to give an estimate of your earnings as a YouTuber and more.

influencermarketinghub.com

That's views, not advertising revenue from the sponsors

Or are we thinking sponsors just ship them a pedal for free at most?